Sporter vs heavy barrel out to 400 yards?

[spaniel]

I generally build with #4 (heavy sporter) barrels for all purposes. They have enough meat they don't heat up in 1-3 shots but are light enough to carry well (sub-10lb scoped rifles with 24" barrels).

I have a factory Savage true sporter 243Win barrel I took off to build something else. I once mounted it up for a buddy who wanted to try F-Class and that's what I had to set up for him for a couple matches. Fully floated in a target barrel stock, LOL. The line couldn't believe how that barrel shot, it was hot as well but made it through 5 shot sighters and 20 shot string without any noticeable vertical spread.

 

[ImBIllT]

Sporter weight barrels frequently start having groups open up with 4+ shots without sufficient cooling. Under slow fire, or three shot groups with breaks they are as accurate as heavy barrels. Fluting will increase the cooling rate yielding a similar result.

I personally do not shoot a light weight rifle as accurately from shooting sticks. I prefer 10lbs+ if my hunt will allow me to carry it. I shoot okay down to 8.5-9lbs. Under 8.5lbs and I really don’t feel as comfortable with long shots from shooting sticks and require a more stable rest. I’ve walked all day, covering up to 20mi, with a 13.5lb rifle. I didn’t like it. But a 10.5lb rifle rarely bothers me unless you hunt is strenuous on it’s own, and also involves carrying more additional weight than a normal day hunt.

 

[AWS]

I hunt coyotes mostly, some places it means a lot of walking others just out of sight of the truck.

I find it much easier to hold steadier and shoot small groups off of cross sticks with a heavier barreled rifle and have a 223AI and 22-250AI set up as such. I use these in more open country.

For walking rifles it is mostly short light barrels in 20P, 222 Rem and 6x45.

For the first or two they are pretty much equal the accuracy of the heavier barrel comes from the operator not the rifle.

When I go on trips I take one of each plus a drilling or combo gun for the relay thick stuff.

 

[Idaho-Lefty]

I have 3, "Walking around" Hunting Rifles All at, 8 Pounds or, LESS and they all, Shoot, Cold Bore,.. "Well" !
My Best shooting Rifle, the 6 XC ( .2's - .3's and up to, .4's ) weighs 10.5 Pounds and really LIKES to, stay Close to the Truck and my Portable Bench for, Some reason,..
If, I Have to Shoot, More than, 2 or 3 Shot's at, something with a Rifle, I'll Give Up,.. the Sport !

 

[kwarw123]

Bone stock Savage 12 in a model 14 stock in 22-250. 5 shot group @ 100 yards.
I did bed the action into the stock. You'l be fine with a sporter barrel if you go that route.

 

[AckleymanII]

You will need 0.10 shoulder over the outside thread diameter.

I have done less with a very tight fitting recoil lug

 

[ELR LVR]

go with a proof or bartlein carbon. weight savings you want + the muzzle od you need for a proper shoulder with a suppressor.

my 16.5" proof 8 twist 22 dasher is very accurate

Bartlein Carbon will be accurate
Proof is a 50/50 gamble (from all the reviews I have read)
There are other Carbon barreled makers that I have researched
they seem to each have their own unique personality with grouping once they heat up
(dependent on how they were wrapped it seems)
One may start walking upward
another may start to spread out etc

 

[Benchrest Braxton]

Bartlein Carbon will be accurate
Proof is a 50/50 gamble (from all the reviews I have read)
There are other Carbon barreled makers that I have researched
they seem to each have their own unique personality with grouping once they heat up
(dependent on how they were wrapped it seems)
One may start walking upward
another may start to spread out etc

all my proof carbon blanks hammer...now their prefits do seem very hit or miss from what I read.

 

[Webster]

My groundhog gun has been a heavy fluted 24” barrel 243 Savage Predator. It has been amazingly accurate. When I bought it I had fantasies of long range shots, and was influenced to think a heavy barrel was needed for varmint hunting, but after several years realize the vast majority of my shots have come at mostly 100 to 250 yards with a rare 300 to 350 shot. And I often have to walk a lot to find them so that heavy barrel is just dang heavy.

I’d like to buy a standard (sporter?) barrel but again questioning if a heavy barrel is really worth it shooting these little targets at my distances? I feel like I want something with maybe a 20” barrel, threaded so I can add a can to quiet things down. Is a Sporter size barrel going to work for me?

Where I hunt in Ohio most of the fields are about 350 yards across. I find a good place to sit and stay there for hours. Crossing tree lines around the field you are on someone else’s property. 6BR 13.5 lbs. shoots under 1/2” groups. Look at a Google satellite map of your area 99% of the fields in Ohio look like little squares on a checker board. Most of the time I can sit within 100 feet of the car. I would look at a used take off barrel used by a serious competitor that has about 1000 shots on it. The barrel would probably be a tight neck. Depends on the price and if it would fit in the stock.

If you want accuracy spend the money for a barrel used by the big boys in serious competition. In short range BR competition 90% of the competitors are using Bartlein or Kreiger barrels. Some of the guys on his website are buying barrels from companies I never heard of. A 222 Rem or a 6BR have good barrel life and great accuracy. Other good brands Lija, Hart, Shilen. Plus others.

From the Bartlein website. .
Do heavier contours shoot better than lighter contours?

If a barrel has a lot of residual stress in it (this is common in button made barrels) and as you shoot it the barrel gets hot and you make no adjustments to the scope/sights. What you will see is the groups/shots wandering on the target. A heavier contour barrel will help resist the barrel moving/wandering as it heats up. Here at Bartlein Barrels, we only do single point cut rifling. This does not induce any stress into the barrel blank. Because of this, we tell people that the contour is not as important as it would be for button made barrels.

I don't know if barrel heat is an issue. I might shoot 3-4 shots all afternoon.

Bartlein has a 10 month delivery time. I always bought from Kelbly they used to have a 3 month delivery time.

 

[ELR LVR]

all my proof carbon blanks hammer...now their prefits do seem very hit or miss from what I read.

Gotcha
Yeah I did a carbon build and kept seeing hit or miss reports on proof
Every single site I looked at at least a couple had to send their proof barrel back due to accuracy issues
Something in the order of not doing better than 1-1/2 MOA
I hate spending double the price of a normal barrel for a gamble so
Used a Bartlein Carbon Wrap
---
Thanks for letting us know the Proof blanks have been good

 

[ken158]

My groundhog gun has been a heavy fluted 24” barrel 243 Savage Predator. It has been amazingly accurate. When I bought it I had fantasies of long range shots, and was influenced to think a heavy barrel was needed for varmint hunting, but after several years realize the vast majority of my shots have come at mostly 100 to 250 yards with a rare 300 to 350 shot. And I often have to walk a lot to find them so that heavy barrel is just dang heavy.

I’d like to buy a standard (sporter?) barrel but again questioning if a heavy barrel is really worth it shooting these little targets at my distances? I feel like I want something with maybe a 20” barrel, threaded so I can add a can to quiet things down. Is a Sporter size barrel going to work for me?

Keep what you have and buy a rifle with a light weight barrel. Getting a new barrel with installation will just about offset the cost of a new rifle.

 

[FrankG]

I bet places like Bartlein barrels sell a bunch of lighter accurate barrels. You might want to look at a 3 or 3b contour.

It's an old wives tale and I only partly agree with it.

Yes the old saying is a heavier barrel shoots better than a lighter weight contour barrel. I only agree with this to an extent. One I've seen plenty of LV type barrels out shoot heavy rail gun type barrels. Or if you will a med. palma contour 30" finish length (similar to a Rem. Varmint) out shoot a straight taper HV contour barrel.

In situations with button rifled barrels or if you have steel that has a lot of residual stress in it. The heavier contour will resist walking/changing on you.

I don't see it really at all in a cut rifled barrel because we don't induce any stress into the steel.

So I always say... the more uniform your bore and groove dimensions are over the length of the barrel, the more uniform the twist and the straighter the blank and less stress in the material... the more forgiving the barrel is going to be! No way around it.

My wifes hunting rifle is a rebuilt Browning Sako Safari. I went to 260 Rem. from the original 243win. barrel. Muzzle diameter is .600" at 22" finish. That rifle with scope and sling and loaded only weighs just a tick under 9#. That rifle will shoot and maintain a .625" range with hunting bullets like 140 Sierra SPBT bullets and 120gr Nosler BT.

Later, Frank
Bartlein Barrels

 

[L.Sherm]

It's an old wives tale and I only partly agree with it.

There seems to be alot of that out there Frank.

 

[DShortt]

I find heavy barrels/rifles easier to shoot off a bench/ rest.

Packing something around? I appreciated a lighter, shorter barrel.

As always, I'd depends on what you're trying to accomplish and under what circumstances.

 

[RabbitSlayer]

This is a taperless preferred barrel blanks prefit. Its the .750 diameter. The thing just hammers. It shoots just as good as my heavy barrel .223 guns. I shoot it at 520 yards all the time. It warms up faster, but also cools off faster. 10 shot strings are no problem. Longer strings keep shooting great, but I don't let it get too hot to touch it. I regularly put 25, 50, or 100 through it in am afternoon. Shot 50 yesterday. Think the whole setup is 9 lbs even without the bipod. This is my walking varminter for coyotes, jack rabbits, rock chuck, and prairie dogs.

YMMV if you are burning more powder and also how big the bore is.

Im thinking of ordering a shorter one and putting a can on it.

 

[ohlongarmisle]

My groundhog gun has been a heavy fluted 24” barrel 243 Savage Predator. It has been amazingly accurate. When I bought it I had fantasies of long range shots, and was influenced to think a heavy barrel was needed for varmint hunting, but after several years realize the vast majority of my shots have come at mostly 100 to 250 yards with a rare 300 to 350 shot. And I often have to walk a lot to find them so that heavy barrel is just dang heavy.

I’d like to buy a standard (sporter?) barrel but again questioning if a heavy barrel is really worth it shooting these little targets at my distances? I feel like I want something with maybe a 20” barrel, threaded so I can add a can to quiet things down. Is a Sporter size barrel going to work for me?

I had two CZ in 17 Hornet, one sporter and one heavy barrel. I shoot 300 gh's a year, and about 50 coyotes, as well as big game where legal. The heavy barrel was sold to a shooter here; the sporter shot a hair better.